Monthly Archives: July 2020

2020-07-15: News Headlines

Alan Macleod (2020-07-15). Trump Fires Latest Salvo in US-China Sanctions War. mintpressnews.com Trump's new law, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, places mandatory sanctions on officials or organizations (including businesses) that the White House views as helping Beijing clamp down on political freedoms.

Alan Macleod (2020-07-15). UN Warns COVID-19 Fears Leading to "Alarming" Decline in Immunizations and Hospital Visits. mintpressnews.com The WHO and UNICEF have expressed concern over what they describe as an "alarming decline" of children's immunization programs, hospital visits for serious issues, including heart attacks and even a reversal in the fight against AIDS.

Ali Abunimah (2020-07-15). German anti-Semitism chief must resign, say Jewish and Israeli scholars. zcomm.org As Israel moves towards annexing large parts of the occupied West Bank, the scholars say that "the need for loud international criticism and opposition is only growing," but Klein keeps "chilling the public and political debate in Germany and beyond."

Max Blumenthal (2020-07-15). Did neocon cancel queen Bari Weiss stage her NY Times resignation to fuel her career? thegrayzone.com A closer look at the events surrounding Bari Weiss' resignation suggests she omitted some critical details about her toxic presence…

Max Blumenthal (2020-07-15). Did neocon cancel queen Bari Weiss stage her NYT resignation to fuel her career? thegrayzone.com A closer look at the events surrounding Bari Weiss' resignation suggests she omitted some critical details about her toxic presence…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-07-15). 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Caused Brain Damage in Children. Dr. Anthony Fauci on "Vaccine Safety" Issues. globalresearch.ca A lawsuit against the Trudeau Government for its handling of the COVID-19 Crisis has been launched. What is at stake is the violation of fundamental rights of Canadians. | "The mass and indiscriminate containment of citizens, the restriction of access to …

Daniel Ellsberg (2020-07-15). The Doomsday Machine Still Exists. zcomm.org Interview on seeking profit in spite of the risk of nuclear winter is "institutional madness"

Eva Bartlett (2020-07-15). US Sanctions Are Part of a Multi-front War on Syria, and Its Long-suffering Civilians Are the Main Target. globalresearch.ca The US is waging multiple fronts of war against Syria, including brutal sanctions, while claiming concern over the wellbeing of Syrian civilians — the vast majority of whom are suffering as a direct result of US policies. | On June 17, …

Denis Rogatyuk (2020-07-15). Assange's father speaks out, calls oppression of WikiLeaks founder a "great crime of 21st century" thegrayzone.com An extended interview with Julian Assange's father John Shipton, who condemns the US, UK, and Australian governments for their "11…

Germán Gorraiz López (2020-07-15). Is U.S. Military Action against Venezuela Contemplated? Trump Wants to Extradite Maduro. globalresearch.ca The Sino-Venezuelan agreement by which the Chinese state petrochemical company Sinopec will invest 14,000 million dollars to achieve daily oil production of 200,000 barrels per day of crude in the Orinoco Oil Belt, (considered the most abundant oil field in …

Cira Pascual Marquina (2020-07-15). Popular protagonism in Venezuela's transition to socialism: A conversation with Michael Lebowitz. mronline.org The Marxist theorist emphasizes that socialism involves people transforming themselves.

Staff (2020-07-15). Corporate Greed Drives COVID-19 Pandemic Inside Peruvian Amazon. therealnews.com Peru's lawmakers are weighing a vote on crucial legislation, which, if passed, will declare large areas of pristine Amazon rainforest off limits to drilling and mining projects—a clear showdown between Big Oil and corporate mining interests and the rights of Indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon. | Peru's Congress was expected to vote on the draft bill Thursday, July 2. But the proposal did not make it into the legislative agenda, prompting questions about whether corporate dollars are pulling the strings behind the scenes. | The proposed amendment has revived bitter decades-old social divisions in the…

Denis Doherty, Hannah Middleton (2020-07-15). Australian government ramps up anti-China campaign, spends billions on weaponry. peoplesworld.org SYDNEY—In announcing $270 billion ($189 billion USD) for the military on July 1, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had the task of convincing Australians that the exorbitant spending was necessary. He turned to fear as his chief weapon, evoking the rise of Nazism and World War II and describing…

Adam Geller, Malcolm Ritter (2020-07-15). Profile of a killer: Understanding the deadly coronavirus pandemic. peoplesworld.org Editor's note: This special report on what is known thus far about the deadly coronavirus was released today by the Associated Press. We publish it because the information contained in it sheds light on what we are facing during the dark days of this pandemic. It is clear that, in addition to embracing the safety …

Mark Gruenberg (2020-07-15). Labor launches video to get OSHA standards into coronavirus aid bill. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health launched a major drive, complete with a riveting video to be attached to communications to lawmakers, to ensure a mandatory anti-coronavirus safety and health standard is in the next economic stimulus law. The objective: To put enough pressure on GOP senators, notably ones who are vulnerable at …

Terry Everton (2020-07-15). Trump's Priorities in the Midst of a Pandemic. dissidentvoice.org What are the priorities of a president when the nation struggles with a seemingly unremitting pandemic? A look at Donald trump's pronouncements while COVID-19 surges in several states.

Vijay Prashad (2020-07-15). Laos has tackled COVID-19, but it is drowning in debt to international finance. mronline.org On June 11, Laos (Lao People's Democratic Republic)—a country of 7 million in Southeast Asia—said it had temporarily prevailed over COVID-19.

Genevieve Lechat (2020-07-15). Trump's xenophobic attack on international students. workers.org July 13 — Unions representing graduate student workers, many international, organized simultaneous July 13 rallies from coast to coast in opposition to a draconian Immigration and Customs Enforcement order threatening their right to remain in the U.S. Ultimately, a million individual international students are endangered by their second-class status as . . . |

Miko Peled (2020-07-15). How Two Seemingly Unrelated Events Laid Israel's Racism Problem Bare. mintpressnews.com A viral video showing an Israeli family mocking impoverished Palestinian children and a controversial New York Times editorial by famed Zionist commentator Peter Beinart have exposed the racist underpinning of the so-called Jewish state.

Chris Marion (2020-07-15). 'Palestine is here in New Hampshire'. liberationnews.org "Palestine is a struggle against settler colonialism, apartheid and systemic racism — defining traits of the United States since its inception…"

Eds. (2020-07-15). U.S. ruling class demands deadly reopening of schools. mronline.org The ruling class, having worked out its strategic response to the pandemic in February and March, has carried out an unrelenting assault on workers ever since. The working class must respond with equal determination and ruthlessness. It must fight for the socialist overturn of the capitalist system, which threatens the lives of millions of workers …

Amanda Yee (2020-07-15). Five years after Sandra Bland's death, NYC protesters demand justice for Black women. liberationnews.org The current national uprising against racist police terror has pushed Sandra Bland's name back into the public consciousness.

Gloria Rubac (2020-07-15). Texas death penalty under fire after cruel treatment of mourners. workers.org While executions are nothing unusual in Texas, the state outdid itself last week. It not only executed Billy Wardlow, but then its church liaison for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice used the viewing of the body by loved ones to verbally attack Wardlow's fiancée and her friends. Wardlow had . . . |

M. Skehan and G. Lechat (2020-07-15). Boston #SayHerNameBlack women lead BLM march. workers.org Over a thousand people took to the streets July Fourth to center Black women's role in the ongoing Black Lives Matter rebellion. Gathering in Boston's Nubian Square, recently stripped of its slaver name, the #SayHerName demonstration and march were organized by the initiative of Black women community leaders Daunasia Yancey, . . . |

Staff (2020-07-15). Headlines for July 15, 2020. democracynow.org U.S. Sets Another Single-Day Record with 67,000+ Coronavirus Cases, Trump Admin Orders Hospitals to Bypass CDC on Reporting COVID-19 Data, GOP Convention in Jacksonville May Move Outdoors, as COVID-19 Skyrockets in Florida, U.N. Chief Warns Pandemic May Set Back Global Economy by "Decades", Trump Admin Rescinds Plan to Strip International Student Visas, Jeff Sessions Loses Bid to Reclaim Alabama Senate Seat, Democrats Pick Challengers to GOP Incumbent Senators in Texas & Maine, Progressive Challenger José Garza Unseats District Attorney of Travis County, TX, Joe Biden Unveils $2 Trillion Clean Energy and Jobs Pla…

Staff (2020-07-15). Tucson Mayor Romero Slams Arizona Gov. Ducey for Downplaying COVID & Hasty Reopening as ICUs Fill. democracynow.org As COVID-19 cases soar in the U.S. South and Southwest, we go to the hot spot of Arizona, where 88% of ICU beds are full and the family of one man accuses Arizona Governor Ducey and President Trump of being directly responsible for his death, after they downplayed the threat of the virus and obstructed local officials from requiring masks even as Arizona's case numbers were exploding. "We have been in a state of crisis since Governor Ducey decided to hastily reopen the state," says Tucson Mayor Regina Romero, who has been standing up to Ducey and is the first Latina and the first woman to be elected mayor of Tucs…

Staff (2020-07-15). As COVID-19 Cases Spike, Epidemiologist Warns "The Road to an Uncertain Vaccine Is Paved in Death" democracynow.org As the U.S. reports its highest one-day spike in infections and 11 states report record hospitalizations, the Trump administration is demanding states stop sending COVID patient data to the CDC, which then releases it to the public. We speak with Dr. Ali Khan, epidemiologist and the dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, about the Trump administration's handling of the crisis and his hopes for a vaccine. "The road to an uncertain vaccine is paved in death," notes Dr. Khan. He is the former director of the CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, where he…

Staff (2020-07-15). The Left Remakes the World: Amna Akbar on Canceling Rent, Defunding Police & Where We Go from Here. democracynow.org We look at another looming crisis for the American public: mass evictions. More than four months into a pandemic that has left millions unemployed, eviction freezes across the country are ending, even as case numbers rise and states reimpose lockdown measures. As the Cancel the Rent movement inspires rent strikes and protests nationwide, a coalition of labor unions, workers and racial and social justice groups in 25 states plans to stage a mass walkout this Monday called the "Strike for Black Lives." We speak with Amna Akbar, law professor at Ohio State University, who wrote about how to respond to all of this in…

_____ (2020-07-15). Trump Tells Florida Crowd 'Something Will Happen In Venezuela' Soon. popularresistance.org On a trip to COVID-19 riddled Florida this weekend, President Donald Trump not-so-cryptically revealed that he had something big planned for Venezuela during a meeting with leaders of the U.S. military's Southern Command. "Something will happen with Venezuela. That's all I can tell you," he said, before adding that Washington would be "very much involved" in what he was referencing. Biden has also taken a hard line on Venezuela and is attempting to out-hawk Trump on the issue. "It's time for free and fair elections so that the Venezuelan people can turn the page on the corrupt and repressive Maduro regime," he sa…

_____ (2020-07-15). 10 Reasons Why Defunding Police Should Lead to Defunding War. strategic-culture.org If we find indiscriminate state violence in our streets appalling, we should feel similarly about state violence abroad, write Medea Benjamin and Zoltán Grossman. | Medea BENJAMIN, Zoltán GROSSMAN | Since George Floyd was murdered, we have seen an increasing convergence of the "war at home" against black and brown people with the "wars abroad" that the U.S. has waged against people in other countries. | Army and National Guard troops have been deployed in U.S. cities, as militarized police treat our cities as occupied war zones. In response to this "endless war" at home, the growing and thunderous cries for defun…

Maureen Skehan (2020-07-15). Boston #SayHerName/Black women lead BLM march. workers.org By M. Skehan and G. Lechat — Over a thousand people took to the streets July Fourth to center Black women's role in the ongoing Black Lives Matter rebellion. Gathering in Boston's Nubian Square, recently stripped of its slaver name, the #SayHerName demonstration and march were organized by the initiative . . . |

Anand Naidoo (2020-07-15). The Heat: COVID-19 economic impact & youth infection rate grows. america.cgtn.com U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed optimism despite Covid-19 continuing to cut a devastating path across America. On Monday, the United States surpassed more than 60,000 new coronavirus‚ÄØcases for the first time in a single day. Across the country, more than a third of states reported …

RT (2020-07-15). Google faces $5 BILLION lawsuit over tracking users' activities even in 'private' mode. rt.com Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc have been accused of pervasively — and illegally — tracking the activities of millions of people even when they turn tracking off in a lawsuit demanding $5 billion in damages. | Filed with a US district court in San Jose on Tuesday, the complaint states that Google has violated the American federal wiretap law and the California privacy law by collecting information about what people look at in the news, search for online or do in their mobile apps — even when they turn off tracking in their account settings or switch browsers to private mode. | The l…

RT (2020-07-15). Nation of Islam posts Farrakhan's call for Jews to ditch the Talmud & be saved amid Nick Cannon antisemitism debacle. rt.com The Nation of Islam posted a call from leader Louis Farrakhan to the "Jewish community" telling them to "turn away from the Talmud" to be spared by God – hours after Farrakhan fan Nick Cannon was fired over his own "antisemitism."

RT (2020-07-15). Precedent set: North Carolina city approves reparations for black Americans, Rhode Island mayor looking into doing the same. rt.com The city council in Asheville, North Carolina approved paying reparations to black residents, while a mayor in Rhode Island signed an order promising to look into the act, leading many to argue this is the start of a major trend. | "Hundreds of years of Black blood spilled that basically fills the cup we drink from today," Keith Young, one of black members of the Asheville City Council, said. "It is simply not enough to remove statutes. Black people in this country are dealing with issues that are systemic in nature." | The vote was 7-0 in favor of the measure. | The reparations will not be direct payments to…

The Canary (2020-07-15). Trump takes credit for convincing UK to ban China's Huawei. thecanary.co Donald Trump has appeared to take credit for having "convinced many countries", including the UK, not to use Huawei after Boris Johnson ordered a ban on the Chinese firm with the country's 5G network.The US president said, "I did this myself, for the most part", as he spoke of having worked to pressure nations to not use Huawei, adding: "If they want to do business with us, they can't use it." | In a major U-turn provoking criticism from China, the prime minister

The Canary (2020-07-15). Huge boost to business and jobs worldwide if nature is prioritised says World Economic Forum. thecanary.co Stimulating growth in ways that puts nature first could provide an £8tn boost and create hundreds of millions of jobs worldwide, experts have said.A "future of nature and business" report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights how governments and businesses can build back better from the economic fallout of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and tackle the nature and climate crisis.Industry moves ranging from recycling clothing to installing energy-saving light bulbs and green roofs into buildings, and even diversifying diets, could help create 395 million jobs around the world by 2030, the WEF sai…

The Canary (2020-07-15). Hancock 'not frankly interested' in Gove not wearing a mask while shopping. thecanary.co Health secretary Matt Hancock has said he is "not frankly interested" in his Cabinet colleague Michael Gove being pictured in a shop without a mask ahead of them being made compulsory to slow the spread of coronavirus.The senior Cabinet Office minister, who had earlier sparked confusion by suggesting face coverings would not be mandatory in shops in England, was photographed uncovered in Pret A Manger despite insisting it was "basic good manners" to wear a mask.His maskless face was in stark contrast to that of international trade secretary Liz Truss, who minutes earlier had left the same store in Westminster wea…

The Canary (2020-07-15). Sculpture of Black protester installed on plinth on Edward Colston statue. thecanary.co A sculpture of a Black woman who took part in a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol has been erected on the plinth where a statue of slave trader Edward Colston used to stand.Artist Marc Quinn created the life-size black resin and steel piece of Jen Reid, from Bristol, after seeing a photograph of her standing on the empty plinth after the Colston statue was toppled.The sculpture, entitled A Surge of Power (Jen Reid), was erected shortly before 5am on Wednesday by Quinn's team without the knowledge or consent of Bristol City Council.The black resin and steel statue by Marc Quinn is titled A Surge of Power (Jen…

John Catalinotto (2020-07-15). What is needed to reopen schools in the U.S.? workers.org July 13 — The Trump administration has ignored facts, science and the advice of experts when issuing an order for schools to open countrywide. Pediatricians, teachers and other education workers who are on the front lines have said they want to reopen schools, but only under safe conditions. They say . . . |

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-15). China-Iran Deal Is a Major Blow to U.S. Aspirations in Central Asia. globalresearch.ca "Two ancient Asian cultures, two partners in the sectors of trade, economy, politics, culture and security with a similar outlook and many mutual bilateral and multilateral interests will consider one another strategic partners" — these were the opening words of …

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-07-15). Converting Hagia Sophia for Domestic Consumption Will Backfire on Erdogan. globalresearch.ca On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree changing the status of the Byzantine-era built Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque. The first Islamic service in the formerly Christian Orthodox Cathedral is scheduled for July 24 …

Stansfield Smith (2020-07-15). WOLA's David Smilde Advocates a more Efficient Regime Change Strategy against Venezuela. dissidentvoice.org Common Dreams, a liberal-left website, reposted an article by David Smilde of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA): "Joe Biden Should Not Try to Out-Hawk Trump on Venezuela." It starts off well with the subtitle: "The first task for a Biden administration would be to take military intervention off the table." The US has …

Fight Back (2020-07-15). Elections signal post-socialist Poland's descent into reaction and repression. fightbacknews.org On July 12, Poland completed its second round of elections to decide who will be president and whether the far-right, chauvinistic, racist PiS would have full powers of the Sejm – Poland's equivalent to the House of Representatives. Sadly, despite being incredibly close and potentially contested, the official reports show Andrzej Duda getting 51% of the vote, while his opponent Rafal Trzaskowski achieved 49% of the vote. Duda is the candidate that represented the Prawo I Sprawiedliwosc (in English, the Law and Justice party). His opponent, Trzaskowski, represented the right-centrist party known as the Civil Platf…

WSWS Repost (2020-07-15). Newsom: allowing SEP candidates on ballot would "frustrate democratic process." indybay.org Democratic Party officials argue that the Socialist Equality Party should have been collecting ballot signatures in California during the dangerous COVID-19 lockdown.

South Front (2020-07-15). Video: Saudi Regime on Brink of Collapse? Economic Crisis and Setbacks in Yemeni War. globalresearch.ca Saudi Arabia has become a hostage of its own military campaign in Yemen. The Kingdom suffers from both its own inability to achieve a military victory in the conflict and regular losses from the retaliatory actions of the Houthis. At …

Margaret Kimberley (2020-07-15). Propaganda Will Not Be Enough to Win Joe Biden the White House. mintpressnews.com The biggest threat to Biden's chances is the continuing suppression of black votes and the refusal of the Democrats to do anything about it.

Robert Reich (2020-07-15). Corporate hypocrisy on racism. nationofchange.org Far from being the solution to systemic racism in America, these billionaires and their corporations are actively perpetuating it.

Melvin Goodman (2020-07-15). Bolton's Book is Not the "Bomb" as Advertised. counterpunch.org John Bolton's "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir" will not tell you anything you already don't know about Donald Trump and his administration. If you have read Michael Wolff ("Fire and Fury"), Bob Woodward ("Fear"), and Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig ("A Very Stable Genius"), you have a full picture of Trump's

WSWS (2020-07-15). US secretary of state denounces China over South China Sea. wsws.org The Trump administration formally adopts the 2016 Hague ruling against Chinese claims in the sensitive, strategic waters, as it ramps up US naval provocations there.

2020-07-14: News Headlines

Lawrence Wittner (2020-07-14). Humanity is an Endangered Species. dissidentvoice.org Have you noticed recently that things are collapsing? Sure, the right-wing, nationalist rulers of many countries never stop telling us that they have made their nations "great" again. But we would have to be dislocated from reality not to notice that something is wrong‚Äïvery wrong. After all, the world is currently engulfed in a coronavirus pandemic that has …

Eds. (2020-07-14). The parlous state of poverty eradication. mronline.org The world is at an existential crossroads involving a pandemic, a deep economic recession, devastating climate change, extreme inequality, and an uprising against racist policies. Running through all of these challenges is the longstanding neglect of extreme poverty by many governments, economists, and human rights advocates.

Reds in Ed (2020-07-14). Teachers demand COVID-19 containment before return to campuses. liberationnews.org "I think I need to draw the line at dying."

Eds. (2020-07-14). Collective care is our best weapon against COVID-19. mronline.org As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps around the world, statist and capitalist structures predictably continue to fail us in many ways. Underlying that failure is the stress on individual responses: stockpile, isolate, and care for yourself.

Sue Davis (2020-07-14). Supreme Court rules for religious right, against health care. workers.org After signing three progressive decisions in June, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts revealed his true conservative stripes July 8. Not only did he sign one ruling supporting so-called "religious rights," he signed two. Reproductive justice s outside SCOTUS to uphold access to contraception. March 23. The one potentially . . . |

Jonathan Cook (2020-07-14). 'Cancel Culture' Letter is About Stifling Free Speech, Not Protecting It. counterpunch.org An open letter published by Harper's magazine, and signed by 150 prominent writers and public figures, has focused attention on the apparent dangers of what has been termed a new "cancel culture". The letter brings together an unlikely alliance of genuine leftists, such as Noam Chomsky and Matt Karp, centrists such as J K Rowling and Ian

Patrick Cockburn (2020-07-14). Boris Johnson Should not be Making New Global Enemies When His Country is in a Shambles. counterpunch.org Antagonising China may not be wise, particularly as it's clear that dysfunctional leaders like Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro could not control an outbreak of acne.

Paul Street (2020-07-14). Sorry, the Chicago Blackhawks Need to Change Their Name and Logo. counterpunch.org "Fast Getting Rid of Those Demons in Human Shape" The great Sauk warrior Black Hawk, called Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak ("Black Sparrow Hawk") in the Algonquian language of his people, was born in 1767 in the glorious village of Saukenuk in the northwestern section of what later became the state of Illinois. In 1829, Black Hawk's Sauk band

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-07-14). India Should Not Participate in Washington-led Anti-China Coalition. globalresearch.ca For years, the US, Japan and India have maintained Malabar military exercises on an annual basis. As the US and Japan are absolutely aligned countries and India is a Washington regional strategic partner, the common objective of the three participants …

Steven Salaita (2020-07-14). Should We Cancel "Cancel Culture"? counterpunch.org Many champions of free speech are less into civil liberties than the preservation of a certain view of modernity. "Free speech," in its discursive form (the form it takes as a rhetorical ideal), can be a mechanism to discipline people who have long been voiceless. Beyond its legal dynamics, the term often reifies capitalist principles

John Feffer (2020-07-14). The Global Rushmore of Autocrats. counterpunch.org Donald Trump would dearly like to add his face to Mt. Rushmore as the fifth presidential musketeer. His fireworks-and-fury extravaganza on July 3 was the next best thing. Trump's dystopian speech was almost beside the point. Much more important was the photo op of his smirking face next to Abraham Lincoln's. More fitting, however, would

C. Douglas Lummis (2020-07-14). Pillar of Sand in Okinawa. counterpunch.org On 23 June, the House Subcommittee on Readiness passed its draft of H.R. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY21. It included the following words: [T]he committee directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to the House Committee on Armed Services, not later than December 1, 2020, on the Futenma Replacement

Richard C. Gross (2020-07-14). The Crackdown on Foreign Students. counterpunch.org There must be something unusually cruel amid a worldwide plague in trying to force international students to take possibly dangerous in-person higher education classes or face losing their U.S. visas or being deported. Colleges and universities are considering online courses for the fall because of a rampant COVID-19 that won't recede. The Trump administration, as

Anthony DiMaggio (2020-07-14). Canceling the Cancel Culture: Enriching Discourse or Dumbing it Down? counterpunch.org To what extent do we as a society have a responsibility to entertain absurd claims, and how do we benefit from engaging in debates with bad-faith actors whose end goal is to obscure basic facts and truths? In such situations, engaging in extended debates doesn't enrich discourse — it makes people dumber by popularizing misinformation and ignorance. And that's exactly the point.

Frank Joyce (2020-07-14). Lift From the Bottom? Yes. counterpunch.org Some time ago, Rev. William Barber II, leader of the Poor People's Campaign, made a stunning point about the minimum wage: it has taken 400 years for it to go from $0/hour to $7.25/hour. Op Ed columnist Thomas Edsall recently wondered in the New York Times, Why Do We Pay So Many People So Little Money?

Dan Bacher (2020-07-14). California Regulators Approve 12 New Permits for Chevron to Frack in Kern County. counterpunch.org As Tribes, conservationists and environmental justice advocates were celebrating a federal ruling temporarily halting operations by the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline, anti-fracking s in California were disturbed that California regulators are continuing to approve new permits for fracking in the San Joaquin Valley. The California Geologic Energy Management Division (CALGEM), the oil and gas

B. Nimri Aziz (2020-07-14). Soft Power: Americans in Its Grip at Home Must Face the Mischief It Wields by BNimri Aziz July 11/2020. counterpunch.org I suspect most Americans would approve of what they understand to be this nation's global cultural reach as expressed through its 'soft power'. A term coined by an American political scientist, soft power "involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction". Contrasted with coercive measures, it's achieved largely through cultural means, although nevertheless

Cesar Chelala (2020-07-14). What was lost when Ringling Bros. Left the Circus. counterpunch.org The business of America is show business, as the saying goes. Show business has slowly crept up into American politics creating a boundary difficult to define. After all, American show business is a greater manifestation of imperialism than the American military. And there was no better show in the United States than the Ringling Bros.

Tom Tomorrow (2020-07-14). America Is Headed Off a Cliff. thenation.com America Is Headed Off a Cliff…

Sonia Shah (2020-07-14). To Survive this Pandemic, We Will Need a New Language of Contagion. thenation.com To Survive this Pandemic, We Will Need a New Language of Contagion…

Leana Wen (2020-07-14). "We need to be doing this safely" zcomm.org As COVID Infections Soar, Trump Attacks Dr. Fauci, CDC & Pushes Schools to Reopen at All Costs…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Penatgon to hide realities behind warship incident. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — American analyst Stephen Lendman said that the realities behind USS Bonhomme Richard incident will never be determined as the the Pentagon is a lying machine like the White House, Congress, and press agent media.

Freedom Socialist Party (2020-07-14). Sunday 7/19: s of Color Speak Out on Systemic Racism in the Era of COVID-19. indybay.org Online. To register: http: //bit.ly/Demand-New-Normal…

RT (2020-07-14). California governor Newsom sends #RecallGavin2020 trending after new lockdown order shutters bars & restaurants. rt.com California Governor Gavin Newsom has kicked off a storm of criticism with a new statewide shutdown order, mandating that bars and restaurants, among other businesses, halt indoor operations amid a surge in coronavirus infections. | Announced at a press conference on Monday, the new order requires that bars across California shut down altogether, while restaurants, movie theaters, zoos, museums and a number of other establishments must suspend all business activities indoors. In a number of counties on the state's "monitoring list," gyms, places of worship, salons, malls and other facilities deemed non-critical…

RT (2020-07-14). Trump in the moon, but no sight of nursing homes: Cuomo stirs up controversy with bizarre poster hailing NY pandemic response. rt.com New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has rolled out a coronavirus-inspired poster to symbolize the state's battle against the pandemic, but the eccentric artwork — designed by the gov himself — soon became a source of mockery online. | The governor showed off the new poster during a press briefing on Monday, a busy image modeled after 19th century political cartoons, peppered with references to the virus and centered on a mountain symbolizing the state's "111 Days of Hell." Emblazoned across the top is a quote from none other than Cuomo himself, exclaiming "Wake Up America! Forget the Politics, Get Smart…

RT (2020-07-14). Bad hair day? Seattle business owner pressured into chopping dreadlocks following cries of 'cultural appropriation'. rt.com A small business owner in Seattle has been shamed into a makeover and a long public apology after an internet mob deemed her dreadlocks a form of 'cultural appropriation' — a charge some have dismissed as literal fashion policing. | In an Instagram post on Monday, Rachel Marshall, founder of Rachel's Ginger Beer in Seattle, penned a lengthy mea culpa apologizing for her "harmful" hairstyle, explaining she is now aware that African Americans are "discriminated against and mistreated for having dreadlocks" while vowing to lop off her own. | Selling good-tasting product is only half the win, says Rachel Mar…

The Canary (2020-07-14). Beijing accuses US of sowing discord with South China Sea comments. thecanary.co China has described the US's rejection of its maritime claims in the South China Sea as completely unjustified and accused America of attempting to sow discord between China and the Southeast Asian countries with which it has territorial disputes.The Chinese Embassy in Washington said on Tuesday that a statement issued by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deliberately distorts the facts and disregards the efforts of China and the others to achieve and stability in the South China Sea."The United States is not a country directly involved in the disputes. However, it has kept interfering in the issue," the em…

The Canary (2020-07-14). Stargazers urged to take in comet that will not return for 68 centuries. thecanary.co Stargazers have been urged to marvel at a newly discovered comet which is visible to the naked eye this month as it will not be coming back for another 6,800 years.The mountain-sized Neowise comet made its closest approach to the sun on 3 July and is now shining brightly in the night skies.PA news agency photographer Owen Humphreys captured images of the comet lined up with St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, at around 12.45am on Tuesday.The noctilucent clouds were a bonus for the photographer (Owen Humphreys/PA)He said: "It was a lot brighter than I thought it would be, and you could see it clea…

The Canary (2020-07-14). Pandemic has boosted support for Welsh independence, Plaid Cymru leader says. thecanary.co The coronavirus crisis has been a "game changer" in the argument for Welsh independence, Plaid Cymru's leader has said.Adam Price said a new "national consciousness" had been boosted by the Welsh government's contrasting pandemic response to the UK government.A motion has been tabled by Plaid in the Welsh Parliament to debate whether Welsh ministers should be given the right to call a referendum on independence in future, with permission currently needed from Westminster.Price said the motion, to be heard on Wednesday, was prompted by growing self-confidence in the nation due to its Covid-19 divergence from Engla…

The Canary (2020-07-14). Retailers and police urged to ensure shoppers in England wear face coverings. thecanary.co Retailers and police must both play a role in enforcing the use of face coverings by shoppers in England, a Cabinet minister has said after officers warned the law would be unenforceable.Environment secretary George Eustice also defended the delay in introducing the measure to combat the spread of coronavirus as the UK relaxes the lockdown.Health secretary Matt Hancock will announce in the Commons on Tuesday afternoon that anyone failing to comply with the order in England from 24 July could face a fine of up to £100.Ken Marsh, chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file offi…

Electromagnetic Sense Ireland (2020-07-14). "Thank You for Calling" Documentary: Unspoken Health Impacts of the Worldwide Mobile Phone Industry. globalresearch.ca Mobile telephony has quickly established itself worldwide as an irreplaceable communication technology. Similar to smoking, however, possible fatal consequences can only become apparent after decades of constantly increased exposure to radiation. | The documentary THANK YOU FOR CALLING by Klaus Scheidsteger …

Jo-Shing Yang (2020-07-14). The New "Water Barons": Wall Street Mega-Banks are Buying up the World's Water. globalresearch.ca Mega-banks and investing powerhouses such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, UBS, Deutsche Bank, the Blackstone Group, Allianz, and HSBC Bank, among others, are consolidating their control over water.

Michael Snyder (2020-07-14). "Tsunami of Job Losses": U.S. Economy Hasn't Experienced Anything Like This Since the 1930s Great Depression. globalresearch.ca The recession of 2008 and 2009 was bad, but it was nothing like this. Even though this new economic downturn is only a few months old, we are already seeing numbers that we haven't seen since the worst parts of …

Ali Salam (2020-07-14). Israeli Army Razes Land in Hebron, Bethlehem, Order Seizure of Land in Salfit. imemc.org The Israeli occupation authorities, on Monday, bulldozed large areas of Palestinian-owned cultivated land as well as an agricultural structure in al-Baq'ah area in Hebron, southern West Bank, the Palestinian Information Center reported. According to local sources, Israeli bulldozers accompanied by soldiers, razed three dunams of land planted with vegetables and …

Ali Salam (2020-07-14). Structures Demolished in Tulkarem, Demolition Orders Issued for Homes, Barns in Hebron. imemc.org Israeli bulldozers, Monday, demolished several Palestinian structures in Izbit Shufa neighborhood, southeast of Tulkarem city, in the northern occupied West Bank, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported. An owner of one of the structures, Amer Hamed, told WAFA that Israeli forces accompanied a bulldozer into the neighborhood, and proceeded to …

Dean Baker (2020-07-14). It's Going to Be a Long and Harsh Recession: NYT Warns of Skills Gap. cepr.net When the unemployment rate goes up, a standard theme in the media is that workers don't have the right skills. We saw that yesterday in the New York Times when an article told us "The Pandemic Has Accelerated Demands for a More Skilled Workforce." It tells us how the growth of telecommuting in response to …

Fight Back (2020-07-14). Cop tells man he's about to kill, 'You're about to die, my friend'. fightbacknews.org Salt Lake City, UT – ers gathered in front of Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill's office, July 8, to demand justice for Bryan Valencia and Chad Breinholt and all victims of police violence. ers chanted, "Justice for Chad Breinholt!" and "Justice for Bryan Valencia," as posters with the same demands were hung on the DA's office building. | Utah Against Police Brutality (UAPB) called the rally to bring attention to these two local cases that have not had the same spotlight as some other local and national police killings. | Breinholt was killed by West Valley City police inside of West Valle…

Nan Levinson (2020-07-14). More Veterans in Congress Could Mean Fewer Wars. thenation.com More Veterans in Congress Could Mean Fewer Wars…

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). 'UN expert's report on Lt. Gen Soliemani arouses US wrath'. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Iranian FM Zarif said on Tuesday that the UN rapporteur report which described the assassination of Lieutenant General Soleiman as 'unlawful' move by the US, has provoked America's wrath.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Iran records 2,521 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has infected 2,521 people in Iran in the past 24 hours, said Iran's Health Ministry Spokesperson Sima Lari on Tuesday.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Only solution to Yemeni crisis to be political. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Iranian FM Zarif and FM of Yemen's National Salvation Government Hisham Sharaf Abdullah hold talks via videoconference on regional and Yemeni issues, where Zarif said the only solution to the Yemeni crisis is political.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Find the (best) Persian Restaurants in Toronto. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — As we see more and more Iranians migrating to Canada and Toronto, we should expect the number of Iranian entertainment venues, especially Persian Restaurants, to increase.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). CIA spy executed: Iran Judiciary. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Iran's Judiciary Spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaeili said that an individual, a Defense Ministry retiree, was executed last week due to his spying for the CIA.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Iran, Russia discuss customs coop. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali held talks with Deputy Head of Federal Customs Service of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Ivin on the customs cooperation through videoconference.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Ancient artifacts to be returned from Austria. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Iran's head of International Affairs of Police and Director General of Interpol said on Tuesday that some Iranian ancient artifacts have been delivered to Iran's representative at the country's embassy in Vienna.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). Iran's human medicine production vol. hits 39% growth. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Statistics of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade showed that human medicine production volume hit a 39.1 percent growth.

Mehr News Agency (2020-07-14). VIDEO: US Navy battles to save burning San Diego warship. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) — Hundreds of firefighters battled through a second day from the air, land and water to save USS Bonhomme Richard, a ship at the US Naval base in San Diego which has caught fire on July 12.

imperial.ac.uk (2020-07-14). Prepare now for winter COVID-19 peak, warn infectious disease experts. imperial.ac.uk The UK must prepare now for a potential new wave of coronavirus infections this winter, says a new Academy of Medical Sciences report.

Labor Video Project (2020-07-14). Healthcare Workers, Covid & Black Lives Matter with Luci Riley NNU CNA Alta Bates Hospital. indybay.org WorkWeek interviews NNU CNA Peralta Bates nurse Luci Riley about the Covid-19 pandemic and the effect on Blacks and other minorities. She discusses the systemic racism in healthcare and the healthcare crisis.

Speak Out Now (2020-07-14). Saturday 7/25: COVID-19: A Natural Event But a Human Made Catastrophe (Online). indybay.org Online meeting, see website for details…